Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Welcome back and happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was just how I like it--nice and mellow with great food and good family time. I have to make this short because we are heading to the mountains for a ski day. It's been an amazing winter for us so far and we want to grab a piece of that good fresh snow before we miss it. Hopefully there will be more to come, but you never know.

Here's a look at our Christmas week:

Day 355- Monday, 12/21/15

This afternoon the boys worked together decorating a gingerbread house. They may have eaten a piece of candy or two but most of it made it on the house.

Day 356- Tuesday, 12/22/15

It's dark and gloomy out so the lighting in this shot is awful, but it's the only picture I took today so it will have to do. In order to get these boys out of the house for a bit we decided to have lunch at In-N-Out. Unfortunately, everyone else had that same idea which meant there was no place to sit so we brought it home. Love their holiday bags--so festive. The burgers aren't too bad either ;0)

Day 357- Wednesday, 12/23/15

Scout, our elf, was wanting us to bake today so bake we did. Justin was eager to help which I love. The house was filled with the best smell and the holiday treats tasted great. It was also nice to have the oven on for extra warmth during these cold days at home.

Day 358- Thursday, 12/24/15

Happy Christmas Eve! As per tradition we made pizza pies for dinner. They were warm and delicious, and the boys did an amazing job putting them together. After dinner and a quick drive around the neighborhood to look at lights we let the boys open one gift. Of course they were super excited and ready for bed early. Last sleep before Christmas!

Day 359- Friday, 12/25/15

Merry Christmas! Once the Santa gifts were claimed and breakfast was had, Bella got tired waiting for us to open the rest of the presents under the tree and couldn't stop yawning. We all took turns opening our gifts and had a really nice morning before the kids took off to play with their new stuff. The PS4 and flat screen tv for the playroom were a hit.

Day 360- Saturday, 12/26/15

Justin had tennis practice this morning which was the perfect opportunity to try out his new racket. He won all his matches so that's a good sign it will work well for him. He's very picky! Then while collecting laundry to be washed I noticed Tyler had lined up his hat collection on the head board of his bed. He's got a couple new ones now and is becoming quite the hat connoisseur.

Day 361- Sunday, 12/27/15

Yay for sunny days and toys that get them outside playing. Brandon is enjoying his new RC helicopter even though it's taking a lot of practice to get the thing to actually fly. Good thing he's a good sport and not giving up quickly.

Wait! One more--

December's Family Photo

Here we are on Christmas morning just before the craziness of unwrapping presents. The calm before the storm ;0)

That's it for now. Check back next week to see how we end 2015 and start a brand new year!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Welcome back and happy Tuesday. Christmas is this week! How crazy is that? Are you ready? Am I ready? Mostly--just one more thing to pick up, some baking to do, and then making sure I have all we need for the Christmas feast. It helps that we are home on break and have extra time. It's cold and rainy out too which makes getting stuff done at home easy. Having to go out is the hard part. I'm trying to avoid that as much as possible. The more I can stay home, the more I can relax, and the more I can enjoy my family which is my ultimate holiday goal. Home sweet Home!

Here's a look at last week:

Day 348 - Monday, 12/14/15

My card order came in over the weekend so after work today I banged out those Christmas cards and will throw them in the mail tomorrow. Check! One more thing done.

Day 349- Tuesday, 12/15/15

Scout, our elf, was having fun on a sleigh made with candy canes and KitKats yesterday so Brandon was excited to dismantle the sleigh after school today and try that "King Size" KitKat. Next to Snikers, KitKat is his 2nd favorite candy bar.

Day 350- Wednesday, 12/16/15

Justin, on the other hand, is more excited to share some Coca-Cola with the elf on this fine day. These little glass bottles are so cute and the perfect size. Scout sure knows how to make everyone happy. I also finished all of my wrapping and got the last of the presents under the tree before having to work the Booster's snack bar tonight. Check! Busy times.

Day 351- Thursday, 12/17/15

What a Thursday! It was the last day of school and the start of winter break so the boys and I celebrated by going out to dinner and having burgers all around after running a few Christmas errands. Check and check! Meanwhile John was in Fresno helping Raul celebrate his 50th birthday at a Motley Crue concert--a blast from the past!

Day 352- Friday, 12/18/15

It's so nice to have free time and enjoy a slow paced day. Brandon decided he should probably put his found time to good use by building the last of his July birthday Legos before he possibly receives more for Christmas. LOL! Done now and ready for more. Check!

Day 353- Saturday, 12/19/15

Pre-holiday party at the Wong's. We did a little wine tasting, got caught in a hail storm, and feasted on a yummy prime-rib dinner. What a great way to kick off to the holidays with some good friends.

Day 354- Sunday, 12/20/15

You guessed it--another rainy Sunday. I spent the morning getting our photo calendar done for next year. Check! Meanwhile Justin and John made us all some breakfast burritos for brunch and then we hunkered down and started to watch the old Star Wars movies to prep for seeing the new one. No we haven't seen it yet. We got through 2 episodes today and will work on the rest throughout our holiday break.

That's it! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas or a happy holiday. See you next Tuesday just before the New Year.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Happy Tuesday and Happy Holidays! We are getting closer and closer to Christmas. This is the last week of school until my kids go on break, and we are all excited about that. We may even get to go skiing during our time off because there is A LOT of snow in the mountains--yay! Finally it looks like a decent winter. Last week involved a lot more Christmas prep and holiday fun.

Take a look:

Day 341- Monday, 12/7/15

Tonight was the water polo end-of-season party. It's kind of sad to be done, but having Tyler home more and having extra free time sure is nice. Half this team is graduating which should make things interesting for next year. I wish them well.

Day 342- Tuesday, 12/8/15

Justin enjoys opening the doors on his advent calendar after school and for some reason as he was doing this today the cat was being super affectionate. Justin then sat on the floor and Rusty made himself at home on his lap. It must be the cold weather wanting him to seek out warmth because he's not usually this snuggly.

Day 343- Wednesday, 12/9/15

Ok here's the ugly side of Christmas--all those boxes that are taking over the home office and there are more in the garage and the closet which I can barely open and close right now. I can't escape them and it drives me nuts. Our office is a mess, but the rest of the house looks great including the outside with it's pretty holiday lights.

Day 344- Thursday, 12/10/15

This is one of Brandon's favorite chores during the holidays. He and Justin both enjoy blowing out the advent candles after dinner. Tonight we got to light 2 which means there are only 2 more weeks until Christmas.

Day 345- Friday, 12/11/15

I met Tyler and Ms. Cisneros after school today to take their picture for Tyler's service project report. Isn't she the cutest little thing? and she's a wonderful science teacher. She helped Tyler start a Red Cross club at their school and has also been great in helping him with college applications and letters of recommendation. I'm glad he has such great role models and support at school.

Day 346- Saturday, 12/12/15

'Tis the season for parties. Tyler is off at a party for an 18th birthday, and we are here at a holiday party that is also a surprise birthday party for Linda's 50th! Cheers!

Day 347- Sunday, 12/13/15

Another rainy Sunday. It seems to always rain on the weekends but we don't mind because it's cozy and warm inside. Today was the perfect day to start wrapping presents. Brandon and Justin just finished wrapping their brothers gift to Tyler and everyone is happy to start seeing some love under the tree.

That's it! Hope your holiday preparations are going well. See you next week.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Good morning and happy Tuesday! It's starting to look a lot like Christmas around here. We had a busy weekend getting the house all decorated and now the boys are really excited and pumped about the holidays. Only 2 weeks of school left, and you can bet they are counting down the days ;0)

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 334- Monday, 11/30/15

I love that he's not too old for this. Blanket forts still exist in my house and Brandon is loving the one he created on the bunk bed. That's his gaming, reading, and sleeping fort.

Day 335- Tuesday, 12/1/15

Happy December! I still can't believe we are here already. Scout our Elf on the Shelf is back and ready for business posing with my monthly marker.

Day 336- Wednesday, 12/2/15

Yay! Tyler finally got his truck back with a fresh coat of paint and no more dings or scratches. It turned out great and looks like new. They told us it would take 7-10 business days but it was more like 14! so he's super excited to have his ride back.

Day 337- Thursday, 12/3/15

Justin picked up a couple friends when he sat down for his after school snack today. Crazy pets actually think they might get something. Ha!

Day 338- Friday, 12/4/15

I'm spending my Friday afternoon in the Booster's snack bar at a basketball tournament, and tomorrow morning I'll be working the Booster's craft fair. I'm putting in my hours and helping earn money for the kids and their sports.

Day 339- Saturday, 12/5/15

We picked out our Christmas tree this afternoon. For our house we need tall and skinny--it can't be too wide or full and this one fit the bill. It took us all of 10 minutes pick out and pay for it. Great thing about Tyler having a truck is that we can just throw it in the back and not worry about tying it to the roof like we usually do. Score! Back at home we got as far as putting the lights on and hanging the stocking. Poor Bella usually gets a bit displaced because of the tree every year, but she'll adjust.

Day 340- Sunday, 12/6/15

This morning the kids enjoyed a cocoa party thanks to Scout and afterwards they took turns helping trim the tree. Each one has his own box of ornaments to add. It was a nice way to spend a rainy day.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Welcome back and happy December! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all enjoyed our week long break and are getting used to a normal work and school schedule again. The good news is that there are only 3 weeks before the next break and that will be a long 2 week break. Yay! Time to switch gears from fall to winter and prep for Christmas. At least it is cold enough to feel like winter and raining again. Hopefully it's a trend for us this year. I do kind of wish it wasn't so cold right now though because our hot water heater is dead. It broke Sunday and won't be replaced until later today so we've been dealing with super cold showers. Brrrr! I'm looking forward to a nice hot one tonight.

Until then take a look at how we spent Thanksgiving break:

Day 327- Monday, 11/23/15

These boys helped me haul off a huge load to Goodwill and were rewarded with donuts. I think they are hoping I have a couple more loads to take sometime soon. What a great way to start our holiday. Shortly after Tyler got his UC applications submitted. It's nice to have that out of the way and not hanging over his head all break. Next up are private school apps mostly due in January. Then we wait and see where it will be.

Day 328- Tuesday, 11/24/15

Movie tickets are discounted on Tuesdays at the downtown theater so we seized the opportunity and enjoyed watching The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. It must have been a good idea because we saw so many of our fellow West Sac peeps there as well.

Day 329- Wednesday, 11/25/15

It's time to start prepping for the big day. I made the cornbread for the stuffing, boiled the brine, made a loaf of pumpkin bread, finished shopping, and helped Justin bake a pie. Next year I think he'll be able to handle that part on his own.

Day 330- Thursday, 11/26/15

Happy Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a nice low key day together and had a wonderful feast staring both turkey and ham. It was just us so we had a ton of leftovers which is great, but I can tell you with 3 growing boys most of those leftovers are already gone.

Day 331- Friday, 11/27/15

Tyler is wrapping up the last of his service hours for the Red Cross by doing another blood donation. The holidays are always a good time to donate blood. More is needed and less is given so if you have some time consider donating yourself between now and New Years.

Day 332- Saturday, 11/28/15

It's a gorgeous day in San Francisco and we are here to visit friends. It may be sunny and clear out but still super cold. Regardless we went on a short hike at Land's End before enjoying food and drinks together. Good food, good friends, good fun.

Day 333- Sunday, 11/29/15

Now Justin is wrapping up his service hours. He helped me stitch those cat mats we cut out last week and delivered them to the Front Street Shelter today. We ended up making 8 mats which will make 8 cats very happy. Even our cat was eyeing them as we worked to get them done. And the cats who get a mat can take them to their forever homes when they leave the shelter. That grey kitten on Justin's shoulder is Graham and he's ready for adoption if anyone is interested--super cute and supper fluffy ;0)

Wait! One more-

November's Family Photo

Of course we had to get a shot on Thanksgiving day. We're all so thankful to have each other and to be able to spend some quality time together as a family.